His Holiness Karekin II Sends Message to United States on September 11
On the occasion of the first anniversary of the September 11 terrorist attacks on the United States, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, sent a message addressed to faithful people of the American Dioceses of the Armenian Church, and to all citizens of the United States of America.
In the letter, His Holiness expressed his sympathies, noting that the violent acts that took place in New York, Washington and Pennsylvania, were directed against all civilized and freedom-loving peoples of the entire world.
In the letter, His Holiness states, "Today, the Armenians dispersed throughout the world sympathize with the benevolent people of the United States. On this sad occasion, we remember with great respect and prayers, the sacrifices made by the rescue workers, the empathy of men and women, and the solidarity displayed by the entire human race.
"Our message as the spiritual head of the Armenian people, who have overcome evil and death through Christ, is: Do not waiver in your faith in Almighty God. For He can change grief to hope, destruction to victory, and death to life, with His life-giving words, "I am the resurrection and the life". (John 11:25)
On the evening of September 10, a solemn requiem Repose of Souls Service was conducted in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, in memory of the more than 3,000 innocent souls who lost their lives in the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001.
